Our Board of Directors volunteer their time and expertise to guide WayAhead in all of the work that we do, and we are grateful for their dedication and support.
Meg Smith, OAM
President
Meg is a registered community psychologist and a fellow of the Australian Psychological Society. She is currently a part time member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal and a community tribunal member of the Guardianship Division. She has been active in mental health reform and advocacy for a number of years. Dr Smith has previously worked in womens health and as an academic at Western Sydney University teaching and researching in the areas of community mental health, bipolar disorder, criminology and social advocacy. Meg has lived experience of mental illness and founded the Depression and Mood Disorders Association NSW. She has been active over many years in a number of national and state working groups on disability, mental health reform and development of assessment measures of mental health care delivery.
Meg was elected to the Board in 1989
Sharyn McGee MA (UNSW), GrDipComm (UTS), BA (Hons) (MACQ)
Chairperson
A retired university lecturer and sociologist, Sharyn’s varied academic experience in sociology, including mental health, lends itself perfectly to her role on the Board.
Since 2006, she has been an active contributor, chairing the Policy and Advocacy Sub-Committee, and the Social Inclusion Working Party.
From 2009-2014 Sharyn represented WayAhead at meetings of the Agency for Clinical Innovation (Diabetes and Mental Health group) and was instrumental in the development and presentation of an educational forum (on Diabetes and Mental Health) for mental health workers in NGOs in April 2012.
Since retiring, she has focused on promoting recovery-oriented, consumer-focused mental health services in NSW. Her extensive volunteer work includes Black Dog Institute, Being Mental Consumers, Health Consumers NSW, Older Women’s Network and Council on the Ageing.
Sharyn was elected to the board in 2006.
Jennifer Cains
Jennifer Cains joins the Wayahead Mental Health Association NSW as a newly appointed Board Director, bringing an impressive track record of over 25 years in people management and leadership within the digital technology sector, notably at Salesforce and Microsoft. Her expertise in business transformation and technology leadership complements her deep commitment to mental health advocacy and education.
As the Founder of Advice for Good, Jennifer champions the importance of mental well-being in the workplace. This role dovetails with her active participation as an Instructor for the Mental Health First Aid Certificate at Mental Health First Aid Australia, and as a Member of Wayahead Workplaces and Blue Voices, Beyond Blue. These positions reflect Jennifer’s personal journey and lived experience with mental illness, offering valuable insights as both a carer and a professional.
Stephen Bourne
Chairperson, Anxiety Disorders Advisory Committee
Stephen is a lawyer in private practice.
He has a lengthy history of working with individuals who are affected by mental health issues, especially individuals whose mental health issues have led to their involvement in the criminal justice system, or to them having children removed into statutory care due to child protection concerns and allegations. Stephen has post-graduate qualifications in law, psychology and forensic mental health.
As well as being on the WayAhead Board, Stephen is panel lawyer for Legal Aid NSW and the Department of Communities and Justice, Director of Kirklaw Pty Ltd and Medcalf Grant Pty Ltd, and Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance.
Stephen was elected to the board in 2018.
David Harper
David is a project consultant with over ten years of experience in the not for profit sector. He is currently the General Manager of Programs and Research at Bipolar Australia, and Executive Director of AS Purposeful Limited. During his tenure on the Board, David has contributed to projects including Collective Purpose, advocacy and policy, and information technology.
David was elected to the Board in 2011
Anna Dawson, Vice-Chairperson
MAPS (M.OrgPsyc, M.HealthSci(BehSci), B.Sci)
Anna is a registered psychologist with over 10 years’ experience in organisational wellbeing and workplace mental health. In addition to her organisational psychology experience, she has also worked in the clinical setting supporting individuals with their health recovery. Anna has a vision that, one day mental health will be a key focus area on every business strategy and the success in applying a preventative approach to protect employee’s mental health is a top priority.
She is currently the Staff Experience Lead at the University of Technology Sydney. In this role she is responsible for leading the Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and guides leaders to apply an integrated intervention approach to organisational wellbeing. As a Board Director for WayAhead, she advocates for and supports the mental health and wellbeing for all communities.
Anna was elected to the Board in 2020.
Diane Bunch
Diane is a registered psychologist with over 20 years HR experience in the education and FMCG sector. Diane is passionate about mental health and wellbeing in the workplace and has led some innovative workplace wellbeing programs. She has qualifications in psychology, occupational health and safety and business. Diane loves dogs and spending time with her family.
Diane was elected to the board in 2023.
Ryan McGlaughlin
Vice-Chairperson, MNFPSocEntM
Ryan McGlaughlin possesses an accomplished career dedicated to the not-for-profit sector, including over 21 years in executive roles which focussed on mental health, suicide prevention, addiction, HIV/AIDS advocacy and LGBTQI+ rights. This has included fighting for those with HIV/AIDS at People Living with HIV/AIDS (NSW), ensuring the voices of people who have had a non-fatal attempt, or bereaved by suicide are heard at Suicide Prevention Australia, and driving evidence based addiction prevention programs at SMART Recovery Australia. He also led the establishment of SMART Recovery International. A theme that cut across all these organisations was the insidious and ongoing impacts of stigma and discrimination. He is passionate about reducing stigma across all aspects of the human condition and is dedicated to help remove barriers so everyone can access comprehensive, timely and appropriate interventions and build flourishing lives.
Ryan also has lived experience of challenges with mental wellbeing and witnessing family members with worse mental health and trauma conditions, as well as experiences of stigma and discrimination throughout his life. He knows the importance of locus of control, being well-informed, resilience and having our own chosen support.
Ryan joined the Board in 2021.
Peter Doukas
Chairperson, Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, MBA (MQBS), BBA (MACQ), DFP (Kaplan)
Peter has 14 years of experience in financial services across investments, insurance, advice and superannuation. He has worked in the corporate sector across sales and operations, focusing on investment and insurance online functionality and managing the retention of life insurance products. He has experience managing relationships, leading high-performing teams, and managing projects.
He is currently a Portfolio Manager at a multi-Family Office where he is responsible for managing client relationships, researching investment opportunities, and developing investment strategies. He is also involved in building a tech start up in the superannuation sector.
Peter was elected to the board in 2022.
Daya Nanda
CPA, ACMC. BSc.
Daya is a finance and accounting professional with over 30 years’ experience in both the corporate and Not-for-Profit (NFP) sectors. He migrated from Sri Lanka in 2005 and is an Australian citizen. Daya holds qualifications including a BSc. degree and he is an Australian Certified Public Accountant (CPA). His experience spans budgeting, Policy Development, Funds Management, Investments, Financial strategies, Systems Implementation, Business Automation and Monitoring, Applications for Grants, Audit and Regulatory Reporting, Management of finance and administrative staff. Daya has worked in a variety of roles in the NFP sector in Australia over the last 19 years in relationship education, education and commissioning services. Daya’s current role is the Finance Manager, Primary Health Network within Wentworth Healthcare Ltd. He has a passion for the NFP sector and appreciates the value of services provided by this sector to the broader community.
Daya is also an active member of Toastmasters and is actively involved in MOVEMBER fundraising as a survivor of Prostate cancer.